Auburn football: 10 players who have been pleasant surprises

The Auburn football team is 4-1 and ranked No. 8 in the country.

That’s a good thing.

But the offense is struggling and the sense that this isn’t a top-10 team has crept over the fanbase since LSU rallied to beat Auburn, 22-21, in Week 3.

Auburn has gotten fantastic production from some players, especially on defense. Derrick Brown, Dontavius Russell, Marlon Davidson, Deshaun Davis, Darrell Williams, to name a few. But everyone expected big things from that group.

It’s the unexpected players making big contributions that surprise us most.

Here are 10 players who have been the biggest surprises through the first five games of the season:

WR Anthony Schwartz

We’ve been big on Schwartz since he signed with the Tigers. He didn’t have a touch in Week 1, but has been a part of the offense each week since. He has eight catches for 163 yards and a 57-yard TD. He’s also run eight times for 61 yards with two scores, including a 23-yarder on a reverse. He’s become Auburn’s jet sweep guy and it’s obvious that he’s a threat to go the distance every time the ball is in his hands. He’s impressed coaches with his hands and isn’t afraid to throw a block, either.

WR Seth Williams

You could see early this season that the coaches liked Seth Williams. He has good size and isn’t afraid to go get the ball in traffic. His emergence certainly was a reason why Nate Craig-Myers left the program. Williams showed his big-play potential last Saturday when he came down with this 46-yard TD grab from Stidham. He has seven receptions for 142 yards and those numbers could be much bigger if he hasn’t been plagued by several drops, which includes the bomb Stidham threw to him on the first play against Southern Miss. But it’s clear that he’s going to be a deep threat and an over-the-middle and third-down target. The second half of the season could be huge for him if he holds onto the ball.

RB Shaun Shivers

The freshman running back has seen his workload decrease the past two weeks, but his talent was obvious against Alabama State and LSU. He’s third on the team with 25 carries and 151 yards. He has a couple of rushing scores. Most of those yards came against Alabama State (13-117), but he also had a solid game vs. LSU (7-25, TD). He’s gotten just two carries in each of the last two games for a total of two yards. If JaTarvious Whitlow misses any time, look for Shivers to be more involved again.

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CB Noah Igbinoghene

First, the obvious: His 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was fantastic and Southern Miss hit every kickoff short last week against Auburn. But the area Igbinoghene really has taken off is at cornerback. In the Week 1 game against Washington, QB Jake Browning picked on the first-time starter a few times. But the sophomore has been fantastic since. Receivers aren’t creating separation against him and if they do, his closing speed is exceptional. On top of that, he’s been a strong tackler. The decision to move him from receiver to corner looks like a great move.

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S Daniel Thomas

Daniel Thomas is looking like the safety Auburn thought he would be when he stepped up two seasons ago with two interceptions against Alabama. He’s anticipating — he jumped routes twice for both is interceptions, one went for a TD (below) — and nearly returned a fumble for another score against Arkansas. He’s fourth on the team in tackles, too. He’s turned into a real ballhawk in the secondary.

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DB Jordyn Peters

He’s become Auburn’s punt-blocking specialist. It started with his block against Alabama State that turned into a Devan Barrett touchdown. Then he blocked one against Arkansas (and somehow missed another one when he overran the punter). He picked up a fumble on a botched Southern Miss punt last week. He’s also getting a lot of snaps in the secondary. He has 12 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

S Smoke Monday/Jamien Sherwood

The Auburn coaches were high on both freshmen safeties when they arrived at Auburn and they’ve done little to disappoint. Both are seeing real playing time this season and are integral pieces to the defense and special teams. Sherwood has an interception, two pass breakups and 10 tackles and Monday has nine tackles and 2.0 sacks, including the game-clincher against Washington. If it wasn’t for Thomas and Jeremiah Dinson playing so well, they’d get more playing time.

CB Christian Tutt

Christian Tutt is seeing more and more playing time at corner. In three games he has five tackles and he had the big interception last week against Southern Miss in the fourth quarter. That the freshman was on the field at that moment tells you what you need to know: The coaches believe he can make plays when the team needs him to.

P Arryn Siposs

He began the season No. 2 on the depth chart but after one Aidan Marshall punt, Arryn Siposs has owned the punting job. Marshall left the team after Siposs took over and the former Australian Rules player has been solid. Of course, 22 punts is more than Chip Lindsey or Gus Malzahn would like to see from their punter, but that’s the way it is right now. He’s averaging 44.8 yards per punt and has five of 50 yards or longer and six downed inside the 20. We’re just waiting on the fake punt at just the right time.